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The Secret of Compounding Habits – How Small Actions add up to Massive Results

By Holly Scherer 4 Comments

At the beginning of each year, half of Americans resolve to make big changes in the New Year. By the end of the first month, forty percent have given up. I cover all of the reasons for this in my book, Resolution Reboot. Of them, one of the biggest obstacles is that we focus too much on the results and not enough on the habits that will get us there.

One of the biggest obstacles to achieving our goals is that we focus too much on the result and not enough on the habits that will get us there. Click To Tweet

The idea of finally losing twenty pounds and paying off our student loans is exciting. It’s fun to envision how we’ll look and what it will feel like. The daily habits to get there, however, are not so fun and usually kind of boring.

 

Let me give you a few examples.

Trying out that new Thai restaurant for lunch equals fun. ⇒ Eating the lunch you packed to help you hit your goal weight is boring.

Going to happy hour with the gang after work equals a good time. ⇒ Heading to the gym to get in shape is anything but.

Spending your Saturday binging on Netflix is entertaining. ⇒ Spending the day working on your side hustle to create more freedom in your life is challenging.

It’s easy to choose the fun and exciting option in the moment. The massive results we’re hoping for seem so far off and often unattainable. Still, some people manage to achieve and maintain these big goals. But how?

They understand the secret of compounding habits!

 

It’s easy to choose the fun and exciting option in the moment. The massive results we’re hoping for seem so far off and often unattainable. Still, some people manage to achieve and maintain these big goals.

 

I’m sure you’re familiar with the idea of compound interest. You deposit money in an account and get a small percentage of interest added to your account each month. The next month, you’re paid on your initial investment plus the interest. That continues for the next month, and the next, and the next …

If I gave you $10,000 on the day you were born and you put that in a mutual fund, averaging an eight percent rate of return, you would have close to $2 million by age 65.

Habits work the same way. If you decide that this was the year you’ll get in shape, you might start with a ten-minute walk. Within a month, you could be walking a mile. And in less than a year, you’ll be running 5ks.

Habits compound just like interest. If your goal is to get in shape, you might start with a ten-minute walk. Within a month, you could be walking a mile. In less than a year, you’ll be running 5ks. Click To Tweet

 

Here’s how some of my small daily habits compounded over the course of a year.

  • Short daily meditations added up to 63 hours in one calendar year.
  • An average of five bike rides a week added up to 5,589 miles last year.
  • A love of hiking combined with running when I couldn’t bike added up to 412 miles on my feet.
  • Biweekly transfers to a savings account equaled 35 percent of our take-home pay saved for our next big goal.
  • A weekly commitment to put myself out there strengthened my friendships, both new and old.
  • Choosing to read instead of browsing the internet or watching TV helped me read 20 books last year.
  • Sitting down to write consistently equaled one book, 53 blog posts, and more than 55 emails and newsletters last year.

These tiny little things, practiced daily, added up to massive results!

 

Now, how about you? What do you want to accomplish most this year? What are the daily habits that will help you get there? How can you make these habits routine?

You can learn more about creating habits in this post. If you’d prefer, I offer one on one coaching with all of the support, guidance, and accountability to finally get what you want. Whatever you choose, I want you to know that you are capable and deserving of these massive results.

How have small habits helped you achieve big things?
Share in the comments below.

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Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Personal Development, Personal Finance Tagged With: Change, Goal Setting, Habit, Health and Wellness, Personal Finance, Success, Taking Action, Transformation

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Comments

  1. AvatarAnn Musico says

    January 8, 2018 at 5:21 AM

    LOVE this Holly. I think we are talking about the same thing – when I say baby steps – but I love the compounding aspect you added. It is so very true. One small step done consistently leads to the next and the next and before you know it you have reached a big goal!

  2. AvatarHolly Scherer says

    January 8, 2018 at 10:22 AM

    We are totally talking about the same thing. It’s crazy how it works. You don’t think a 20-minute meditation or 30 minutes of yoga does much, but over the course of a year, huge changes! Hope this helps change the perspective of at least one person who struggles with the day to day.

  3. AvatarAshley Logsdon says

    January 8, 2018 at 12:35 PM

    That is AWESOME! Man, just taking out what you did and quantifying it lays out how much of an achievement those little things are. Love it!

  4. AvatarHolly Scherer says

    January 9, 2018 at 9:42 AM

    Isn’t it amazing, Ashley? Just tiny daily actions add up to be so huge. And the cool thing is that you can just start with one thing, like get 7 hours of sleep, drink more water, or schedule 10 minutes of quiet time. I think that’s so inspiring!

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AvatarHi, I'm Holly and I'm happy you're here. I spent most of my life believing that I had to wait until I retired to live each day to the fullest. One day I had enough. Along with my spouse, we built the foundation for a life of freedom and it's my mission to help you do the same. Read More…

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